The Mansfield-born double Olympic swimming champion has retired, aged 23, saying she wants to leave the sport at the top.

“I have achieved everything I wanted to,” Adlington said. “Some people want to milk it all they can. I’ve always said I wanted to finish on a high, despite my love of the sport.”

After confirming she wouldn’t compete at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and undertaking a 280 mile bike ride in Zambia to raise £50,000 for Sport in Action, Adlington says her work outside the pool has taken on a greater significance and that she no longer has the same motivation to compete at an elite level.

“I had to look at things, take a break and see how I felt when I came back. It didn’t feel the same getting back into training and it felt like time,” she said.

Despite a very short career, Adlington achieved great success in her sport, including: 6 gold medals, 1 silver and 3 bronze, all since 2008.